Birthday Cake Candles
for Philip, Sonia & Clement

i. Patricia

she positions herself
like a lighthouse upon a rock
to direct, to guide
whoever travels

what are at times, often times
treacherous waters

the troubled seas which writing
which just living can be

ii. Sylvia

in the house for ten years
she ran twice, she won twice

outside of running
walking or in flight

she is one for wings
for fine thought
for fine things

for her family and her God

iii. Jason

like containers to get into
boxes, tins

containers to hide in
like children would
like children did

three siblings who follow me
locked in an abandoned fridge
in our back yard

screamed and screamed
and were not heard
could not be heard

how they were found
that they were found
were rescued, a miracle

what is history now
was before them then
life they have lived

they were that close
to being wiped out
to being no more

out of that fridge
they could have been
transported to the morgue

shapes to get in,
to hide in, in this exhibition
of whirls on the wall


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2008
9:15 p.m. 09.05.08